Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Using this Book 
This book is aimed at a number of potential audiences, each of which may 
have different needs and expectations when it comes to reading this book. 
The following list is intended to help you find information on individual 
subject areas: 
Translation theory and technical translation: Chapter 1 
Cognitive psychology: Chapter 3 
Experimental methods: Chapter 5 
Usability: Chapters 3, 4 and 5 
User guides: Chapter 2 
Reading: Chapter 3 
Readability: Chapter 2 
Technical communication: Chapter 2 
Writing strategies: Chapters 2 and 4 
Chapter 1
provides a general overview of translation in general and tech-
nical translation in particular. It does not represent a comprehensive review 
of all the literature on translation but it does provide a good overview of 
the main themes in translation as they relate to technical translation. 
Chapter 2
examines technical communication as a creative and technical 
discipline. It is useful for understanding why technical documents are pro-
duced, how they are produced and by whom. This chapter also describes 
user guides in detail and describes the various requirements which need to 
be met for a user guide to be regarded as successful and effective. 
Chapter 3
is of benefit to those wishing to understand the cognitive 
processes which allow humans to perceive information, read documents 
and learn new information. It provides an introduction to human cognition 
and explains how this mechanism facilitates learning and reading. 
Chapter 4
deals with how we can use an understanding of human cogni-
tion, translation and technical communication to engineer user guides so 
that they are as usable and effective as possible. This chapter looks at usabil-
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ity in detail and discusses various criteria which can be used to quantify 
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chapter presents Iconic Linkage as one possible method for improving us-
ability in user guides. Read in conjunction with Chapter 3, this chapter 
provides a solid basis for understanding usability in general and with regard 
to user guides. 
Chapter 5
draws on all of the preceding chapters and sets out to imple-
ment measures to improve usability and then assess the effectiveness of the 
measures. This chapter provides a detailed introduction to usability testing 
and evaluates a wide range of literature on the subject. The chapter culmi-
nates in a practical usability study which draws on a range of theoretical and 
practical sources. The results of the study are assessed, evaluated and dis-
cussed. 
Chapter 6
attempts to draw conclusions from the preceding chapters and 
discuss the impact of usability on technical translation as well as implications 
for future research. 
usability. After introducing the notion of usability principles and rules, the 
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Preface

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